slow burn
by keem
Summary: Inspired by Sonic and the Secret Rings: Equipped with the Ring of Desire, Sonic finds that he can resist the charms of Sinbad the Sailor no longer...


_A/N: _Because Sonic and the Secret Rings_ was the first decent sonic game since _Sonic Adventure

_Because Sonic is just so charming._

_Because Sinbad resembled a certain red echidna back at home... _

_Because Blaze and Cream and Jet and everyone else were no where in sight._

**slow burn **

All of the rings had their own unique magical property that made Sonic feel strange in the head. The first one he had received, while hurtling through the stories of the Arabian Nights, made his knees buckle in the overwhelming urge to pray, to beg for forgiveness, to seek faith in what seemed like a losing battle. The second had weakened him with overwhelming sadness, and he had trouble battling his depression along with the enemies that stood in his way. The third inflicted him with rage so powerful that he snarled with uncharacteristic agitation, ripping baddies to shreds while his veins screamed with adrenaline. The one following injected him with hatred so fierce that for a long time he despised everyone - hated his mission, hated Ali Baba, hated Shahra, and positively loathed himself. Then the next left him dizzy with euphoria - joy so bright and intense that he nearly got himself killed because he was having trouble taking the fight very seriously, while the opposition tried their very hardest to kill him. And then he finally got his hands on the sixth secret ring, perhaps the most distracting of them all: desire, animalistic yearning and desperate longing.

Which is what brought him here, to this massive archaic palace that hugged a treacherous coastline. It looked dark and sinister, silhoutted against the blackened sky. To add to the already oppressive atmosphere, it had began to rain shortly upon their arrival, but Sonic was not to be deterred. He zipped down the rocky pathway with his genie side-kick trailing behind him, making his way toward the main entrance.

Shahra had not been keen on this spontaneous detour, and was quick to voice her displeasure.

"Sonic! Don't forget what we're supposed to be doing! And the arrow..."

Sonic, who was about to swing the enormous door-knocker adorning the double-doors that led inside, looked down at his chest distractedly. The flame was considerably smaller than it had been when he had first set out, but it still flickered promisingly. "There's still some life in me yet," he muttered wryly, and knocked.

"Sonic..."

"Oh, give it a rest Shahra, will you?" Sonic snapped, with some vestige of rage and hatred that was still churning beneath his surface. Although the most recently obtained ring would rule his emotions the majority of the time, sometimes the other rings would cue in at random intervals, leaving him with outbursts not necessarily associated with the present situation. Sonic felt suddenly irate with Shahra, who was constantly reminding him of the continous struggle when taking on the Erazor Djinn. As if he wasn't already aware of it himself. Almost as quickly as the feeling was there, however, it vanished, leaving the hedgehog once again with crippling desire. He also felt a little bit sheepish for having jumped down his companion's throat.

"Sorry, Shahra," Sonic mumbled, rubbing the back of his head embarassedly. "It's hard, having to deal with all of these turbulent emotions inside of me... makes me get a little wonky sometimes..."

"It's okay, Sonic," Shahra responded, wearing a deeply sympathetic expression. "I know it can be hard on you." He half-expected her to pat him on the head.

"Err, can I use one of my wishes, Shahra?" Sonic suddenly asked, looking up at her anxiously.

Shahra was giving him a funny look, as if she knew where this was going, and didn't like it one bit. Still, she had no choice other than oblige. "...Of course, O Master."

"Can you give me some privacy until further notice?" He smiled up at her apologetically.

The look she gave him was mutinous. Still, she could deny him nothing but the impossible. "Your wish is my command." And she dissappeared in a spiral of smoke.

At that moment the huge double doors opened, and a familiar face wearing unfamiliar garments peered outside.

"Hedgehog," he said as a way of greeting, and nodded his head curtly in acknowledgement. His expression was entirely neutral, and his voice, having a queer accent his Floating Island counterpart did not share, conveyed neither pleasure nor displeasure at his visitor's unexpected appearance at his doorstep.

"Knuckles," Sonic began awkwardly. He didn't really know where to begin, and the thrumming desire inside of him made it hard for him to think about how he was going to go about doing this. All he knew was that he had to curb this longing, and the object of such desperation was looking him steadily in the eye.

"As I've told you before," the scarlet echidna responded bemusedly, "my name is Sinbad--"

"Oh, that's right, 'Adventurer of Adventurers'!" Sonic snapped, feeling cross again. "Woo. Rah-rah. I get you. So can I come in, or what?"

"What," Sinbad said.

"What?" Sonic said again, confused. He quirked one eyebrow at Sinbad, who gave the merest shadow of a smile. Then he got it. "Oh, ho," Sonic said dully, rolling his eyes. "What considerable wit. You should be a comedian." Then, realizing that insulting Sinbad probably wasn't going to get him laid, he switched tactics. "Listen, I'm sorry, I know I'm a tactless prat. But I could really use some more of your wisdom." _Yeah that's it, that sounds pretty decent_. For good measure, he added, "please?"  
Sinbad's expression was unfathomable. "Come in," he said, and stood aside to make way for the hedgehog. Sonic quickly stepped forward to eclipse the threshold of the manor before the echidna had the chance to change his mind. He found himself standing in the center of an impressive antechamber, with high ceilings and marble flooring. The walls had were painted with enormous murals that carried depictions of adventure. Sonic assumed that these were inspired by Sinbad's own traveling, as several places in the mural there was a scarlet figure that bore striking resemblance to the individual standing behind him.

The enormous doors slammed shut, and Sonic jumped backwards and whipped around, landing in a defensive stance. Sinbad was watching him, one elegant eyebrow quirked in curosity. Sonic felt himself tinge pink in the cheeks, relaxing his shoulders as he came up out of a crouch. "Sorry, I'm just used to imminent danger, these past few days," he said awkwardly, and then he laughed. "I'm always got to be ready for anything."

Sinbad nodded. "Very becoming words of a warrior," he said, seeming to appreciate this. "Your reflexes are excellent." Sonic started, as it was the only compliment Knuckles had ever given him, and then had to remind himself that this wasn't the echidna he knew, however familiar looking he may appear. Sinbad walked past him, grabbing one of the many torches that adorned the wall to illuminate the way. "Come, let us drink mead, and I will bestow upon you some of my worldly wisdom." He gave Sonic one of those strange little half-smiles again, and started down the hall, Sonic trotting behind him.

---

The longer Sonic sat with Sinbad, the more he realized how unlike he was to Knuckles. For one thing, the echidna back at home never had such expensive taste. The 'sitting area' they resided in, as Sinbad had modestly referred to it as, was more like a sitting throne room - expansive, stretching a hundred yards on all four sides, lavishly furnished. The sofa which Sonic was seated on was embroidered, with fat, gaudy beads that lined the stitching. The extravagance of it was absurd, and wasn't particularly comfortable to sit on. Meanwhile, the walls carried majestic oil paintings, a lot of which were done of Sinbad, striking various poses in front of various backdrops. There was also pillars holding vases and statues, all of them different and intricately carved. Beautiful female servants also came and went, often asking if they were able to service either of them in any way, batting their eyelashes flirtaciously at Sonic as they inquired. The entire setting was so bizarre and unlike anything Sonic could compare it to that he had to resist the urge to laugh. The real Knuckles would have been appalled and embarrassed by his counterpart's undeniably rich blood.

What kept Sonic's interest were the similarities the two echidnas _did_ share, however few they may be. Sinbad, like Knuckles, was a individual of few words, stoic and guarded and not exactly a great conversationalist, to say the very least. He mostly regarded Sonic with curosity and intrigue maybe a little mistrust, listening but adding little. The echidna had been very interested to hear of how Sonic had come to be in this world, while Sonic fidgeting uncomfortably in his seat as he spoke, resisting the urge to suck the other creature's face. Artful seduction had never been Sonic's strong point, so he tried to get to the echidna to warm up to him by regaling him with recent tales of heroism within this world.

There was also no denying the similarity in appearance, although this version maybe was just a little more refined with an unusual taste in clothes. The mannerisms were close, as well - Sinbad held himself the same way that Knuckles did, seemed to have the same reservations when regarding Sonic, even spoke the same way Knuckles did. While he never exactly smiled, he did give strange little half-simpers that would mosey across his face without a true invitation, squatting there until Sinbad realized what was happening.

"So you've had an interesting time here thus far, I presume?" Sinbad asked him, after the blue hedgehog had finished his story about taking on the fire golem.

"Yeah, it's been a pretty wild ride," Sonic agreed. His legs were crossed, one foot swinging to and fro as he spoke. "Beating up baddies, avoiding pitfalls and racing Uhu. And then of course, I've been meeting your lot." He gestured vaguely in Sinbad's direction, flashing an award-winning smile. "Weird, meeting another world's version of my friends. Kinda cool, I guess."

"How do we compare?"

"You and Knuckles could be twins."

"The resemblance is uncanny, then." Sinbad took a sip from his goblet. This was what Sonic had been waiting for. He pressed on.

"Well, yes and no. There are some differences at home. For instance, Knux doesn't even remotely have the same sense of dress as you do."

Sinbad frowned thoughtfully. "What does he wear, then?"

He had taken the bait. Feeling excited, Sonic had difficulty getting his expression to remain neutral. "Nothing."

It did not have the desired effect; back at home, Knuckles would have sputtered and flushed, taken by surprise. Sonic would've nailed it. But Sinbad seemed completely unfazed by the statement, taking another drink instead. "A little barbaric, don't you think? Ah, well." Sonic simply watched him, trying to keep his dissapoint from showing, mentally trying to recover and plan his next course of action. Before he could come up with anything, however, Sinbad continued. "And so, the rings. How many have you acquired, so far?"

"Six." Before he could help himself, he added, "They're driving me crazy."

Sinbad nodded. "Yes, they have a tendency to do that."

"You have no idea." He went to take a swig from his own goblet.

"The most recently acquired ring... The Ring of Desire, wasn't it?"

Sonic felt a chill sneak up his spine, and it had nothing to do with the weather outside. He looked up to see the echidna was staring at him intently, arms folded across his chest. Sonic put down his drink slowly, feeling mistrustful. "I never said anything about what the rings did..."

Sinbad held up enormous hand to keep the hedgehog from going any further. "Please, hedgehog," he said, looking amused. "You are playing visitor to _my_ world. We both know why you are here."

"I.. I don't know what you mean..."

"I am no fool, hedgehog. Please do not treat me as such."

Sonic was positively alarmed now. "But.. but.. I.. you still let me inside..." He watched as Sinbad leaned forward, reaching out to cup the hedgehog beneath the chin. Sonic remained rooted to the spot and tried not to flinch, wondering if he was about to be boxed about the ears next.

"Maybe I had a little bit of an agenda myself," the echidna whispered, and his hot breath smelled of mead and something else, something tropical that reminded Sonic of the scarlet Guardian back at home. And then their lips met.

Sonic wasn't sure who kissed who first, but suddenly they were pressed against one another, limbs interlocked as they jockeyed for position. If Sonic had been back at home, Knuckles would have already submitted, but this sea-savvy rendition did not share even remotely the same compliance. Sonic suddenly found himself on the ground with the other creature straddling him, dreadlocks swaying about his face as he surveyed his prey.

"Right here?" he asked huskily. "Or shall we retreat to my quarters?"

It only took Sonic a split second to decide. "Here," he said fiercely, and he seized the back of the echidna's head in both of his hands, bringing his face down so that their mouths could meet once again.

---

Although Sonic had initially been reluctant to do so, eventually they did retire to Sinbad's quarters. There he had ravished further, strings repeatedly pulled by a lover's skill who far outmatched his own. Sinbad was nothing like Knuckles was like between the sheets - he was efficient, artful, undeniably more skilled - and while very much appreciated, Sonic found himself wishing for the familiar feel of his rival beneath him instead. Sinbad transcended mere mortal's expectations - he was remarkably seasoned, no doubt from years of having every whim catered to by this manor's numerous concubines. This was all well and good, and left Sonic exhausted enough that he could not be distracted by Desire - but it brought forth a different kind of longing in its stead, a kind of homesickness that plagued Sonic long into the hours of the night. Eventually, he could tolerate Sinbad's embrace no longer, so afflicted with this new, strange disease. It was time to go.

He had hoped to slip out undetected, in these early hours of the morning, but Sinbad stirred as Sonic opened the door.

"Leaving so soon?"

Sonic paused, and for a moment considered not saying anything. But then he turned to look over his shoulder, fingers still gripping the handle of the majestic door. "This is probably gonna sound weird, but..." he drifted off, unsure of how to continue. Just what had he planned to say? How could he excuse himself?

"Does he know?"

Sonic blinked. "Know what?"

"That you love him."

Sonic couldn't help but laugh. "Am I that obvious?"

Sinbad did smile this time, a tiny little smirk that tugged at the corner of his mouth. "You called me 'Knuckles' earlier." He held up two ungloved fingers. "Twice."

Sonic felt himself getting warm in the face. He rubbed the back of his head as he smiled apologetically. "Sorry 'bout that. I didn't mean to.. well.. use you.." He frowned at himself, suddenly realizing what a total jerk he was.

"Who said you were using me? I revealed that my intentions were not unlike your own. And even so," he shook his head. "I did not forget that rescued me back there, Sonic, when you could've left me. I thank you."

"Aww, geez," Sonic said sheepishly. "I was just doing what I do best. Saving other people's butts." He turned to leave him again, but Sinbad called after him.

"You didn't answer my question."

Sonic halted again. It took him a long time to respond, and he didn't look back at the echidna when he said it. "No, he doesn't. But now I want to go home and tell him." Sinbad said nothing, but Sonic could feel his smile, and this time he did leave, shutting the door behind him as he went.

---

"Shahra!" Sonic called, as he made his way up to the winding path back into the hills where they had arrived from. The brunette genie appeared in a puff of smoke just above his head, looking down upon him interestedly. "What's up?"  
"Have a good time?" she said, not answering the question. "No more distractions, right?"

"No more distractions," Sonic agreed, smiling despite himself. "You ready, Shahra?"

"Ready for what?"

"For danger, thrills and adventure!" Sonic said brightly, and he started forward, legs carrying him swiftly along. The cool air whipped his face as the little genie coasted along behind him, the two of them watching as the sun began to slowly crest over the mountain. "Six rings down, Shahra!" he called back to her excitedly, zipping along. "One to go!"

"Let's do it, Sonic!" Shahra encouraged, soaring beside him. "We're almost there!"

"Alright, then!" Sonic said, and he surged ahead. "Let's goooooo!"


End file.
